California scientist impatient for human stem cell trials
A California specialist in stem cell cures for spinal cord injuries and his financial backer are lobbying to test his novel techniques on humans without...
Three’s not a crowd for New Zealand kids
New Zealand children would be able to have three legal parents if changes to parenthood laws tabled in Parliament are adopted. According to an official...
Old adult stem cells can become cancerous
Supporters of research on embryonic stem cells have been cheered by a report in the New Scientist that old adult stem cells can also turn...
Australian govt proposes cutbacks to IVF funding
IVF has become a political football in Australia after Federal government ministers hinted that women's entitlement to funding for unlimited IVF cycles would be rolled...
1 in 25 Danes born through IVF
The latest European statistics show that 3.9% of all births in Denmark came as a result of IVF -- probably the highest proportion in the...
IN BRIEF: Frankenstein rice; suicide; IVF death
GM foods: Japanese scientists have developed a strain of rice with a human gene which is resistant to pesticides and could be used to clean...
Lethal injections unethical, says The Lancet
There should be a moratorium on death by lethal injections in US prisons, argues an article in The Lancet after studying what actually happens when...
Conscientious objectors under the gun
Pharmacists who refuse to fill legal prescriptions for contraceptives are coming under fire in the US media. The widely- read Boston Globe columnist Ellen Goodman...
Fewer suicides if people surf the net, says Nitschke
A proposed Australian law banning the publication of suicide- related material on the internet will actually increase the number of suicides, says euthanasia advocate Dr...
France passes end-of-life law
The French government has passed a law which will allow terminally ill patients to refuse treatment, but which leaves euthanasia illegal. The new measure allows...
California considers assisted suicide
Inspired by the example of its northern neighbour, the California legislature is examining whether it should legalise assisted suicide. A bill modelled on the existing...
IVF’s emotional roller-coaster
A London psychotherapist has criticised the UK government's recent decision to cover one free cycle of fertility treatment through the National Health Service. Nicola Glucksmann,...